Hi Catrin
Regarding experimenting with less strong NSAIDs - I did that too. It took 3 weeks to get back to a normal blood level and less pain. Won't go there again.

I had bad thumb arthritis and saw a hand specialist. He did an "anchovy" surgery where (I'm probably going to botch this) they take out part of the bad joint and fill it with a wadded up tendon. He was supposedly the best surgeon in town, as attested to by other people in the medical field.

The result - I have less mobility and I still have pain (but not nearly as bad.) He assured me that I would regain 95% of my strength - not true. I'm still leery of lifting dumbbells over my head during a bench press. When it is cold and damp, the pain is bad. I now have pain in my other thumb and I'm going to live with it.

My PCP was right. Avoid surgery at all costs. That's my experience.